Under the name Virtue de Intelegentte, Republican Presidential hopeful Ben Carson operated a psychic telephone hotline during high school and for $3.99 per minute, Carson would tell you your fortune.
Childhood friend and business partner, Todd Tuckerton, told the Detroit Free Press, “His main tactic was placing people on ‘hold’ to consult his magic crystal for answers. He could charge the caller money plus take another call during the same time or make a sandwich. It was a good scam and we made a little money.
Tuckerton went further into the details of the business saying, “Ben’s voice, even then, made it all possible. It has a rather lullaby effect to it and people would get sucked in even though he had nothing important to say and obviously couldn’t tell their future.
“It was about playing to people’s emotions. We had a bunch of pre-written phrases and question to ask or answer. Fortune telling is about being sly and seemingly trustworthy, a trait that comes naturally to him.”
The Virtue de Intelegentte hotline was eventually shut down when a Detroit mob bosses wife was unhappy with her fortune and the mob threatened to kill him if he didn’t change her fortune. For fear of retaliation they disconnected the phone number.
“It was a shame when we had to shut down. That’s when Ben decided to go to medical school which would give him time to think of a really good scam where he could make a real fortune, just not tell one.”
25 years after the psychic telephone scam, Tuckerton contacted Carson about a nutrition supplement company called Mannatech Inc. “I knew the companies pyramid scheme plan would work perfect with Ben. With his title of doctor and soothing voice, we could sell idiots millions worth of useless products with a few simple speeches and videos.
“And we did until Ben wanted to run for President and we had to hide his connection with Mannatech the best we could. Oh well, there’s always next time. He’s always scheming. It’s fun.”
Below is an infomercial for Mannatech, starring Republican candidate Ben Carson. He recently denied the connection during CNBC’s Republican debate.